I will preface this next post with the fact that I am a dedicated “pointing dog grouse hunter”, simply meaning that I am most comfortable with the pace and tendencies that pointing dogs display while in the woods. A point is still a mystery to me and probably always will be - the anticipation of which is almost as good as the resulting flush for me. Watching a dog that’s good at it has to be one of life’s great pleasures ... but I digress.

This past weekend, I hunted with two dedicated flushing dog enthusiasts from Maine - Krystal Coombs and legendary Maine guide and breeder Jo-Ann Moody - whose springers scoured my grouse coverts for two days. Krystal’s 3 year old Levi (at left) and Jo-Ann’s 7 month old pup Pepper brought me back in to the world of hunting grouse and woodcock with a flushing state of mind, which is quite different from where I usually reside.

In short, we had a great time and moved a lot of birds over our two mornings of hunting Levi and Pepper. The cover the first day was a little more open and we saw, glimpsed, or heard around 24 grouse and woodcock, quite a few of which presented nice shooting opportunities. Jo-Ann made a nice shot on a woodcock (which Pepper retrieved), and Krystal bagged a couple of grouse as well. Quite a few shells were expended on that first morning, as the dogs were working close and hunting hard. Both Krystal and Jo-Ann have a relaxing (quiet), yet precise way of handling their dogs in the grouse woods, which helps us get closer to the birds.

Sunday brought new challenges, as I brought them to one of my best (and thickest!) woodcock coverts. The amount of woodcock and splash in this covert got the dogs fired up, so there were birds in the air, but sometimes too far out of the range of the guns. Pepper was really firing on all cylinders, which is great to see from a young dog. Needless to say, both Levi and Pepper (at right) earned their rest at the end of each day.

In the afternoons, we hunted with one of my dogs, just to give Krystal and Jo-Ann a taste of how we do it up here. While things were slower each afternoon, both Rudy (2 grouse and 2 woodcock moved) and Monty (6 grouse moved, with a couple of great points) acquitted themselves well in their time out there. While the weather was cooler, it was also still cloudy, rainy and windy, making for another challenging weekend out there. The good news is that we lost much of our foliage last weekend, so now we have one less excuse for all of those missed birds!

Recommended Reading:"The Complete Book of
Woodcock Hunting"
by Frank Woolner

An informative and exhaustive essay on woodcock. Includes how to hunt them, as well as the migratory habits of this fascinating upland bird.
2011 Season Tote BoardTime in the Woods: app. 161.0 hoursGrouse & Woodcock seen, heard, moved & otherwise molested: 522

Birds / Hour Avg.: 3.24/ Hr

Birds Taken: 34 grouse, 21 woodcock

Recommended Reading:"A Grouse Hunter's Almanac"
by Mark Parman

An entertaining look at grouse and why we hunt them. Lots of stories about our canine partners in this experience too, written from a Wisconsin perspective. A great primer for the upcoming season.
2010 Season Tote BoardTime in the Woods: app. 139.5 hours

Grouse & Woodcock seen, heard, moved & otherwise molested: 430

Birds / Hour Avg.: 3.08 / Hr

Birds Taken: 26 grouse, 21 woodcock

Recommended Reading:"Grouse Hunter's Guide"
by Dennis Walrod

A very informative and amusing take on why we are devoted to the pursuit of grouse. Lots of statistics back up the author's many claims. Thanks to Paul O'Neill for his recommendation!
2009 Season Tote BoardTime in the Woods: app. 108 hours

Grouse & Woodcock seen, heard, moved & otherwise molested: 320

Birds / Hour Avg.: 3 / Hr

Birds Taken: 17 grouse, 14 woodcock

Recommended Reading: "A High, Lonesome Call"by Robert Holthouser

I'm not just advocating this book because we sell it in the lodge - it's truly a beautiful depiction of going on a bird hunting odyssey out west.
But beware: read it and you may go ...